Monkey in the mountains

[LongRanger_imp]

I brought my Monkey home in December and rode it a few times before the weather turned bad. On those rides, the bike struggled on our steep, hilly roads (I'm at 8000') and was sucking gas. Even though it's fuel injected, the shop manual has a section which describes how to adjust the ECU for high-altitude riding. The adjustment requires a special tool (a jumper), which I purchased, and a sequence of opening and closing the throttle with the ignition on. I made the adjustment a few weeks ago but didn't have a chance to ride the bike again until today. All I can say is wow, what a noticeable difference. Now the bike will pull the hills with a degree of authority. It really scoots along (up to about 50 mph). Huge difference!

 

[alprider]

i will see in summer how much power i will lost by your level...if i will makes my loops in our alps...

 

[the Ferret]

Ha ha very cool LR.

Trippin on the Monkey...

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Nice that the adjustment was available to you. Well done LR.

I suppose it makes sense since Honda can't control where their products will be used throughout the globe.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

True, but I always thought fuel injection "self-adjusted" for altitude, based on sensors or whatever. This was the first I heard of having to reset an ECU to manually change the air/fuel map.

 

[Stichill]

Great news, LR! I know you were a bit concerned about the hill-climbing ability.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

True, but I always thought fuel injection "self-adjusted" for altitude, based on sensors or whatever. This was the first I heard of having to reset an ECU to manually change the air/fuel map.

Maybe on this "grade" of vehicle, the range of region adaptation is limited in scope and needs manual intervention on out-of-limit situations. Just speculation. Possibly, higher-end vehicles like the Gold Wing, Honda Accord, etc. auto-adjust due to access to richer sensors and resources.

 

[flynrider]

True, but I always thought fuel injection "self-adjusted" for altitude, based on sensors or whatever. This was the first I heard of having to reset an ECU to manually change the air/fuel map.

Maybe on this "grade" of vehicle, the range of region adaptation is limited in scope and needs manual intervention on out-of-limit situations. Just speculation. Possibly, higher-end vehicles like the Gold Wing, Honda Accord, etc. auto-adjust due to access to richer sensors and resources.

Maybe on this "grade" of vehicle, the range of region adaptation is limited in scope and needs manual intervention on out-of-limit situations. Just speculation. Possibly, higher-end vehicles like the Gold Wing, Honda Accord, etc. auto-adjust due to access to richer sensors and resources.
That's what I was thinking as well. My guess is that the ECU on the Monkey is probably a bit more simple (i.e. fewer sensors) than what would be found on a larger, more expensive bike.

I know my CB11 adjusts to altitudes in the Rockies quite well.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

m in sc, you're the one who alerted me to the ECU adjustment, and I thank you for that. I would have never known to question it otherwise.

 

[apex1_imp]

m in sc, you're the one who alerted me to the ECU adjustment, and I thank you for that. I would have never known to question it otherwise.

It would have been nice if your dealer knew about this and had taken care of it if the dealer had any idea you would be using the Monkey at high altitudes.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Yes, agreed, but he's in Ft. Collins, CO (70 miles away), which is only 5000'. The factory setting is good to 6500', so it's probably not something he comes across too often with his regular customers. They would have made the adjustment at no cost but it was less expensive for me to simply buy the special tool and do it myself, rather than haul the bike back to the shop.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Yes, agreed, but he's in Ft. Collins, CO (70 miles away), which is only 5000'. The factory setting is good to 6500', so it's probably not something he comes across too often with his regular customers. They would have made the adjustment at no cost but it was less expensive for me to simply buy the special tool and do it myself, rather than haul the bike back to the shop.

Plus you will be ready to deal with it when you haul the little beast out of the back of the trailer/truck/RV at a coastal town.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Embarrassingly, I only just turned 400 miles on the Little Ape today, though considering its limited utility, our short riding season, and the fact that it holds court with several other companions at Casa LongRanger, I suppose that’s pretty good. Anyway, the engine is beginning to loosen up and it feels stronger, more lively, and more willing to rev than before. No regrets! I saw 60 mph on the way to the WalMart today, which isn’t too shabby considering our elevation.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Well, I had my fun. I’m now Monkey-less. Sold the bike this morning on Craigslist for a very good price, just because.

 

[the Ferret]

lol that didn't last long.